1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to retractable awnings and more particularly to an improved retractable awning wherein a light source is provided therein to illuminate the area under the awning
2. Description of the Prior Art
Retractable awnings may take numerous forms and have been designed for permanent mounting on fixed vertical surfaces such as over doors and windows of a building structure and have also been designed for mounting on movable objects such as recreational vehicles, mobile homes or the like. In the latter case, the awnings typically include a canopy that is secured along an inner edge to a supporting external wall of the vehicle and along an opposite parallel edge to a roll bar such that as the roll bar is moved away from the supporting surface, the canopy of the awning is extended. A reverse relationship is sometimes utilized wherein the roll bar is permanently mounted on the supporting surface and a lead bar attached to an opposite edge of the canopy is adapted to be extended away from the supporting surface to move the awning into an extended position. In either instance, however, the awning is wrapped around the roll bar when in its retracted condition. Support arms and rafters are typically provided to retain the awning in its extended condition.
It is frequently desirable when seated under an extended awning of the afore-noted type to have a light source so that activities requiring light can be carried on at night beneath the awning. Typically, outdoor lanterns have been utilized as have flashlights. In some instances, recreational vehicles on which the awning may be mounted have a door light on a wall adjacent to an entry door. Such means for illuminating the area beneath the awning, however, are undesirable for varied reasons and accordingly there has been a long felt need for a convenient light source that will readily illuminate the area beneath a retractable awning.
It is to satisfy the needs and desires of recreational vehicle users in having a satisfactory system for illuminating the area beneath the awning that the subject invention has been developed.